Support among the Irish public for the smoking ban remains overwhelming, according to an EU survey of attitudes of Europeans to tobacco. Paul Cullenreports.
Up to 90 per cent of Irish people favour smoking bans in offices, workplaces and restaurants, and 85 per cent support bans in pubs and all indoor public spaces, according to the Euro-barometer survey.
Irish support for the smoking ban in pubs and restaurants is the highest of the 28 countries surveyed, and support for bans in indoor spaces and offices is third highest.
However, support for the ban has remained static since the last time a similar EU-wide survey was carried out.
Notwithstanding the introduction of the smoking ban in 2004, 29 per cent of Irish people smoke, only slightly below the EU average of 32 per cent. Just over half say they have never smoked, and 18 per cent used to smoke but have stopped.
Irish smokers are among the heaviest in Europe; over 40 per cent say they smoke 20 cigarettes a day or more.
However, 40 per cent of Irish smokers say they have tried to give up in the past year, the third highest figure in Europe.
Just 13 per cent sought professional help when trying to give up, and almost half started smoking again within a week.
The main reason for starting smoking again, cited by over 40 per cent of smokers, is that they could not cope with the cravings for a cigarette. One-third said they missed the habit and having something to do with their hands, and other cited peer influence and fears about putting on weight as factors.
Ireland was the first country to introduce a smoking ban but has been followed by Malta, Italy, Sweden and the UK. Over 90 per cent of Irish people believed the smoking ban was being observed.
Two-thirds of Irish smokers smoke at home but this drops to 35 per cent when a non-smoker is present. Some 10 per cent say they smoke at home in the presence of children, and 7 per cent smoke when pregnant women are present.
A similar pattern emerges in relation to smoking in cars, which appears to be the last tobacco bastion for 58 per cent of smokers.
The survey, published ahead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31st, notes that 500,000 people die every year in the EU as a consequence of smoking. One quarter of all cancer deaths and 15 per cent of all deaths can be attributed to smoking.